SAN JOSE — Sharks TV color analyst Drew Remenda won’t be returning to his spot in the broadcast booth next season.

“They decided not to renew my contract,” Remenda said Tuesday. “It wasn’t because of anything I did or anything wrong. It was explained to me they wanted to take the broadcast in a different direction. Honestly, we parted amicably.”

Remenda, who just completed his 13th season as television analyst alongside Randy Hahn, was an assistant coach with the Sharks from 1991 to 1995 before becoming an analyst. Prior to his TV spot, he was the radio color commentator working with Dan Rusanowsky.

“When I first got there as an assistant coach, they asked me what was my goal,” Remenda said. “I said I hoped I’d be there for five years. I ended up being there for 20. I would love to tell you there’s some big conspiracy there, but they’ve been great to me.”

Remenda said he had “kind of an inkling,” his contract might not be renewed, so hearing the actual words from chief operating officer John Tortora was not that difficult.

“The hardest thing is to think I’m not a San Jose Shark any more,” Remenda said.

Reached late Tuesday night, Tortora declined to comment on Remenda’s departure beyond a prepared statement that acknowledged the announcer would not be back and wished him well in the future. The statement offered no explanation for the team’s decision that was first reported by media blogger Rich Lieberman.

With contacts throughout the hockey world, Remenda said he already has several irons in the fire as far as his next job.

“There’s a couple possibilities and a solid chance I might go back into coaching, though not at the NHL level,” Remenda said, adding that working closely with Todd McLellan and his staff the past six years has sparked his interest in returning to the bench.

Popular with fans, Remenda had a league-wide following thanks to satellite packages that carried NHL games to outside markets. And news of his departure triggered an outpouring of support on Twitter.

“Drew and Randy are one of the very best broadcast tandems in the NHL,” said Craig Button, a former Calgary Flames general manager who is now a TV analyst at TSN. “They are knowledgeable, thorough and have fun.”

Remenda was willing to speak his mind during a broadcast. While he viewed the game from the Sharks perspective, he could be anything but a homer in his commentary when he felt it was warranted.

After the Sharks were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2006 playoffs, Remenda announced on the air that he was leaving the Sharks to become an analyst with “Hockey Night in Canada.”

He returned to San Jose after one season, saying he missed having one team to identify with when he was part of the well-respected Canadian Broadcasting Company operation.

In recent years, Remenda split his time between the Sharks and his family in their hometown of Sasktatoon, Saskatchewan. Under that arrangement, he would miss an occasional game with radio analyst Jamie Baker filling in.

Remenda had nothing but kind words for the Sharks, praising general manager Doug Wilson and the front office staff as well as players and coaches.

“The only time I’ve been upset about this whole thing,” Remenda said, “was when I’ve talked to people in this organization that I’ve had to say goodbye.”

[…] TV colour commentary work 13 years for the Sharks. “They decided not to renew my contract,” Remenda told the San Jose Mercury-News. “It wasn’t because of anything I did or anything wrong. It was explained to me they wanted to […]

[…] colour commentary work 13 years for the Sharks. “They decided not to renew my contract,” Remenda told the San Jose Mercury-News. “It wasn’t because of anything I did or anything wrong. It was explained to me they wanted to […]